Help...please....at the end of my rope... I NEED this.

degan2011

Food isn't your enemy. It's your best friend. You're just spending too much time together

:drinker:

lorib75

I have to add...
I just looked at the picture of your current pantry... guess what... you have 3 times the amount of food my family currently has in our pantry. WOW... you want to diet...
eat that pasta sauce by itself as a soup... STOP BUYING PREMADE MAC N CHEESE buy an apple instead.
Honestly... people afford what they want to afford.

lisabinco

I never want to see the number 200 on my 5'5" frame again, and I'm probably less than 20 lbs from approaching it right now. Below is a picture of my current pantry. I look at it and 99% of me feels disgusted. Tell me IF I can fix this, HOW I can fix this, mentally, emotionally, or otherwise. I need a bit of hope to grasp onto right now. My goal would be 130 lbs. Then I'd be happy. But I can't just resort to eating oatmeal and nothing else, can I? Seems like the only affordable meal plan.
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1058/foodismyenemy.png

I feel your pain. I am your height and felt if I ever reached 200 I would never get back ... so here I am.
What's wrong with oatmeal? Simple foods are good for you and don't have to be expensive. That's just an excuse. I spend much less on food now -- and eat better.
You are NOT trapped in that room in which you've locked yourself; there are doors all around you through which you can walk at any time. We all have our self-made prisons through which we struggle to break free. One day at a time, decide that just this one morning (each morning) you will (or will not) treat your body right. Then do it (or not) just for that one day. You can make up your mind either way each and every morning. Focus on one day at a time. You can do this with every big decision you need to make.
You're mind, though, your thinking. It needs to be retrained and like anything it takes practice to retrain your mind. But you can do it. I can do it so you can, too.

tamba01

I would like to also suggest a plan (budget). I know that I spend less on food if I first make a list and follow the list. Use food as fuel for you body. I know that it's hard to get through tough times, but as you can see by all the post here, that you are not alone. There are many here that will help you get though tough times, just reach out like you did today and we will be there for you.

degan2011

Honestly... I haven't found fast food to be very cheep at all these days. $7 for a meal or $5 for a hamberger? Unless you are eating off the dollar menu you are out almost $20 for 2 people. I have discovered that I spend less money eating at home than I did going out. a bag of burger patties is about $6-8 and the bag of buns maybe $2.50 (I buy the whole wheat buns) and I can make 5-8 burgers. Spend the other $8 on fixins and... YUMMY! (this is just an example) Chinese food is way cheeper to make at home, too.
I also shop the fruit and veggies when they are on sale.... also look for the bags of smaller apples. you get more apples per pound and a small apple is one serving, where a large apple is two. Fresh blueberries and strawberries freeze REALLY well. As do banana's if you peel them first. Most stores have their more ripe banana's discounted and bagged for sale. I buy those and peel and freeze them. You can then use them to make smoothies out of.. and someone posted a recipe for making an "ice cream" out of frozen bananas.
Another fun and inexpensive thing to try is to grow your own veggies! We can't kill a zucchini plant to save our lives!! Artichokes only get MORE prolific over time. they can be grown in pots on a balconly or porch if you rent.

Good luck to you!

degan2011

Honestly... people afford what they want to afford.

Exactly.

lizziebeth1028

While I feel bad for your situation you can only wallow in self pity for so long. It's time to pick yourself up and start living again. Take accountability for your actions and learn to help yourself. There are many people who suffer from depression and ptsd and many many other debilitating illnesses and go on to lead successful lives, hold a job and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Man up!!

Here is the key to weight loss - eat less, move more. Especially in a situation where you are just starting out on your weight loss journey. There is no need for expensive fancy bells and whistles. Find out how many calories you need to eat a day to stay in deficit and follow it!!! Buy foods that you can afford and stay within your calorie range. Take a walk everyday, hey twice day. That's it. That's as complicated as it gets.

bck80

you have to start one day at a time, you don't need $5 for weigth or jump rope, go outside and take a walk it's free use your body weight go up and down the stairs... and as to food; $30 to $50 a piece for 2 weeks is plenty. now that you have more time reseach your cheapest food market and try to make one trip ( to save on gas) and focus on getting fruits and vegetebles, olive oil, milk and eggs.... it should not cost a fortune. my food budget is very close to yours for both my husband and i, and it's more than enough for 2 weeks. most important of all you have to commit, no matter what the scale says. somedays you will not like the numbers but keep thinking that if you go back to your habits its just going to get worse and you'll never move forward, you will evetually fall off once or twice but pick yourself up and move again..... GOOD LUCK on your journey weight loss and getting healthy is NOT easy BUT it's for sure worth it in the long run.

SarBear00b

This website needs more people like you!! Well said!

Grlnxtdr0721

Losing weight doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, a lot of things you can do for free. If you have access to the internet, you have a whole workout world at your fingertips. There are videos, meal plans, etc...I think there is even one that you can put your grocery bill amount into and it will provide you with examples of what you can get on your budget. And, you probably already know this, but when grocery shopping, the must haves can be bought in store brands that are so much cheaper and typically made by the same company as the high dollar. And fruits and veggies aren't really all that expensive, especially if your grocery store supports local farmers. If this isn't the case, check out farmers markets.

andthenwhat

Amen to soda being a treat not a staple.

yoovie

relax and do it cause its fun and feels good and forget about everyone else out there.

NakedLunchTime

Yea, sorry, but I call bull**** on "I can't afford the food to lose weight" excuse. 1500 calories is half the cost of 3000.

I'm sorry that you are in a bad spot right now. Calories in vs calories out is definitely one place where you do have control.

First of all eating healthy is costly duh! IF I compare how much I was spending on food before I started this it was ALOT less why? well because I am buying healthier and fresher food derrrrrrrrrr! I could get a bag of chips for $!.00 as opposed to $1.25 per lbs on let's say Broccoli,.98 liter of soda as oposed to $1.99 for a gallon of skim milk or 3.99 for Special K cereal as opposed to the always on freaking sale fruit loops or lucky charms at my local store for $1.79.....

ANYWAY I say the less you work out the less caloric intake you need that is a no brainer.I didn't exercise until I lost my first 15 lbs (confidence boost) then I just walked first for 10 min not too fast and not too slow then I slowly kept increasing my time and speed.Also drink LOTS OF WATER. I drink tap bcasue I refuse to spend $4.00 on a case of bottled waters and create more waste lol

Good luck hun and your more than welcome to add me xo

Ugh.. I am so jealous of you! I blow through water bottles (I recycle them all though!) Because we have extremely high iron in our water which we have been trying to remedy since we moved into our 1st home 2 yrs ago. I wish I could drink my tap so bad! My sister has great tap water so you better believe when I go to her house I take advantage! haha

VryIrishGirl76

Deep breath honey!
Start small....drink water, take walks....replace something easy in your diet.
All the changes will add up over time....

Dragonwolf

Yea, sorry, but I call bull**** on "I can't afford the food to lose weight" excuse. 1500 calories is half the cost of 3000.

I'm sorry that you are in a bad spot right now. Calories in vs calories out is definitely one place where you do have control.

First of all eating healthy is costly duh! IF I compare how much I was spending on food before I started this it was ALOT less why? well because I am buying healthier and fresher food derrrrrrrrrr! I could get a bag of chips for $!.00 as opposed to $1.25 per lbs on let's say Broccoli,.98 liter of soda as oposed to $1.99 for a gallon of skim milk or 3.99 for Special K cereal as opposed to the always on freaking sale fruit loops or lucky charms at my local store for $1.79.....

ANYWAY I say the less you work out the less caloric intake you need that is a no brainer.I didn't exercise until I lost my first 15 lbs (confidence boost) then I just walked first for 10 min not too fast and not too slow then I slowly kept increasing my time and speed.Also drink LOTS OF WATER. I drink tap bcasue I refuse to spend $4.00 on a case of bottled waters and create more waste lol

Good luck hun and your more than welcome to add me xo

Ugh.. I am so jealous of you! I blow through water bottles (I recycle them all though!) Because we have extremely high iron in our water which we have been trying to remedy since we moved into our 1st home 2 yrs ago. I wish I could drink my tap so bad! My sister has great tap water so you better believe when I go to her house I take advantage! haha

Get a water softener system. It may be expensive up front, and may seem expensive to keep, but how much more, over the life of a softener system, are you not only spending on that bottled water, but also your clothes, dishes, clothes washer, and anything else that you're using in that water and have to replace sooner because the water ruined it? We had the same issue (and general, hard-as-granite water, I kid you not), and the Culligan system we had installed was probably one of the best "home stuff" investments we've made.

AmyBecky74

I to have no job, applied for disability (panick attacks, depression, anxiety, PTSD). So believe me I can relate to how you feel and I know it's hard. Those that don't suffer like we do can't understand ( due to no fault of their own). I always loved areobics so in my mind I tell my illness "you have taken so much from me but this I will hold on to". I fight thru everyday to keep living, I personnelly have alot of anger so I found kick boxing a good outlet for my anger. I also workout at night, it helps make me tired enough to were I don't wake up during the night as much (doctors got me on so many pills my sleep tends to be very broken up). Hang in there, we were strong enough to get thru what caused our illness I have to believe were strong enough to make it through this.

Dragonwolf

Yea, sorry, but I call bull**** on "I can't afford the food to lose weight" excuse. 1500 calories is half the cost of 3000.

I'm sorry that you are in a bad spot right now. Calories in vs calories out is definitely one place where you do have control.

First of all eating healthy is costly duh! IF I compare how much I was spending on food before I started this it was ALOT less why? well because I am buying healthier and fresher food derrrrrrrrrr! I could get a bag of chips for $!.00 as opposed to $1.25 per lbs on let's say Broccoli,.98 liter of soda as oposed to $1.99 for a gallon of skim milk or 3.99 for Special K cereal as opposed to the always on freaking sale fruit loops or lucky charms at my local store for $1.79.....

ANYWAY I say the less you work out the less caloric intake you need that is a no brainer.I didn't exercise until I lost my first 15 lbs (confidence boost) then I just walked first for 10 min not too fast and not too slow then I slowly kept increasing my time and speed.Also drink LOTS OF WATER. I drink tap bcasue I refuse to spend $4.00 on a case of bottled waters and create more waste lol

Good luck hun and your more than welcome to add me xo

If your money is so tight that you're comparing a $1 difference between an arguably healthy drink (milk) and empty calories and actually considering the empty calories solely because it's cheaper, then you probably need to rethink some things. Powdered and canned milk can be bought for what amounts to about $.50 a gallon, and as an added bonus, doesn't spoil (well, canned does, after you open it). With a little practice/experimenting, you can get it to taste pretty close to regular milk.

Special K is not really any better than Fruit Loops, actually. If you're going for cost savings, pick up a giant box of plain Cheerios (or the generic, if your store has it) and add your own sugar if you feel the need. Check for coupons, too. My store gave me a coupon for a free box of Cheerios one time.

As for the broccoli vs potato chip comparison... well, there really is no comparison. Fiber, vitamins, minerals, the potential to mix with a hundred other things to make it go farther (stir fry, anyone?) vs ....well....eating half a bag of empty calories and not feeling full.

Someone else mentioned the extreme couponing thing. While I think some take it a little too far, most of them have the right idea - scout the deals, learn how to "stack" the coupons, stock up on non-perishables when they're cheap, and buy the things that are on sale, even if you don't normally get that brand or whatever. Once you start making more money, you can afford to be choosier, but if you have a really tight budget, then you have to take what you can find sometimes.

redheaddee

My suggestion is that if you have any bit of yard, grow a garden! Seeds are cheap, and since produce takes work, you will get a little boost in exercise as well! For example, I planted 24 tomato plants @ $2/piece (I like the heirlooms). So my $48 investment has turned into an overabundance of tomatoes! Just last night, I picked 50 pounds of tomatoes, in one harvest! Average $1.50/pound, you can see my investment has already paid off. I keep vinegars & oils in my cabinents, and grow spices as well, and with all this produce I am forced to be creative. Plus I freeze or can the rest so I will have it year round. I understand money is tight, and canning can me a bit of a pricey investment initially, but completely worth is in the long run.

I also suggest no more fast food. Period. That goes for the hubby too. The money he spent on that sub for himself, could have bought a home cooked meal for you both with leftovers.

In addition, exercise is so vitally important to your success. Walk around the block, play at the park, but exercise revs up the feel-good hormones that can also give a boost in mood and fight depression.

Try to stay positive, and when you have a bad day, reach out to your MFP family! We are all here fighting together!

JeSuisPrest

"$1.99 for a gallon of skim milk"

Wow.....where are you that milk is only $1.99?????????????

TIDDYBEAR

Yea, sorry, but I call bull**** on "I can't afford the food to lose weight" excuse. 1500 calories is half the cost of 3000.

I gotta call BS on that statement!! You can go to McDonalds (or where ever) and purchase 3,000 calories for a couple of bucks. But get that healthy salad, and grilled chicken or whatever and you are out 5 - 7 bucks!